What's in the Windows 8.1 Preview?

Microsoft has officially announced the preview of Windows 8.1 in a keynote address at its Build 2013 developers conference.

Windows 8.1 isn’t for everyone – it’s unfinished, and doesn’t support uninstalling if you have problems – but if you’re interested, and have a full system backup to hand, then there’s plenty to explore here.

Microsoft has tried to address some of the most common Windows 8 criticisms, for instance. You can now optionally boot to the desktop. A Start button can return you to the Start Screen, or launch the Apps view, for a sort-of Start Menu-like experience. And you can disable the Charms bar, or the hot corners.

There’s now more control over how Windows 8 apps are displayed, too. Apps can be automatically arranged side by side, resized to suit your needs, and at best you can now have up to four apps on the screen at once, and change the size of each window (although running four apps apparently requires “at least 2560 pixel width on a 24″ or larger monitor”, which we would guess is going to exclude a lot of people).

One search now covers your PC, apps and the web

The update comes bundled with Internet Explorer 11 (it’s reportedly faster, and allows you to browse tabs side by side), as well as a Settings app which is a Start Screen equivalent (almost) to Control Panel. There are several lesser new apps (SkyDrive, Calculator, Alarm, Fresh Paint, Bing Food and Drink, Bing Health and Fitness), while other apps have been updated (Mail, Calendar and others), and a redesigned store makes it easy to find other apps you might like.

Elsewhere, Search has been improved and is easier to access; tethering support allows you to turn your PC into a wireless hotspot; you’re now able to customise the Lock screen with your own images; and the Start Screen offers more options for tile sizes, and new ways to arrange them.

How to get Windows 8.1, then? If you’re interested, the simplest way is to download and install the update, restart your PC, and follow the notification prompt to go to the store, then download and install the full Windows 8.1 package.

Please note, though, the Windows 8.1 Preview build is only available for some languages: Arabic, English (US), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. If you’re using something else then the installer will warn you that “the update is not applicable to your computer”, and you won’t be able to proceed.